The Mom Stop: Turning the page this summer

Although I’m writer and I devour news articles online throughout the day, I have a little secret: I’m not much of a reader when it comes to books.

Yes, I love the mental escape that fiction provides, and I’ve read my fair share of non-fiction and self-help books. I wish I could say I’m one of those people who reads before bed each night, or goes through books at a rapid pace. But I’m not — I’m not sure that I’ve ever been.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t love a great story. In college, while commuting an hour to an internship each day, I discovered books on tape. I loved listening to “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Angela’s Ashes” and Jane Austen’s classics. As I’ve gotten older and had three kids, I have even less time to read, but listening to audio books on my phone has become my routine while I clean the house or drive around town. It helps makes mundane tasks a lot more tolerable. I sometimes find myself laying in bed when I can’t sleep, in the dark, listening to an audio book.

And although I love audio books, I want to raise my children with a love of reading. We started early, reading board books as a family at bedtime when our oldest was still an infant. We still read to our kids each night, although I know my 5-year-old and 8-year-old should read to themselves more instead, to keep up their reading skills, especially this summer.

I want to do everything we can to prevent the “summer slide,” which happens when students lose the reading and math skills that they learned during the school year. When kids don’t read over the summer, it’s estimated that they can fall as much as 2 years behind by fifth grade, according to the Children’s Literacy Initiative.

Last week, during their first week off from school, I took my two oldest kids to the library to sign up for our local summer reading program. The program encourages kids to read books throughout the summer by providing prizes and activities at the library. My son, 5, got his first library card, something he proudly showed everyone he saw. While my son picked out an oversized “Star Wars” Lego picture book and a “Power Rangers” DVD, my 8-year-old daughter came to me with “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

I’ve always wanted to read the Harry Potter series. I’ve seen all the movies, but somehow never quite got around to reading the books. And so, my daughter and I made a goal: To read all seven Harry Potter books this summer. Once we read the books, we’ll watch the movies. If she likes the books, I’ll plan a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, after we finished the series, I promised.

We decided to do a combination of paperback and audio book, starting with the “Sorcerer’s Stone.” We started by listening to the audio book on a drive back from Atlanta — it was the first drive in recent history that my kids were actually quiet. After we got home, we read together before bed each night, and my 8-year-old read on her own and to get ahead. We’d also listen to the audio book whenever we were in the car. It took us about a week to finish the book.

Now, we are reading the second book, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.” My two oldest kids have fallen in love with the Harry Potter story line, my oldest daughter especially.

And it’s been special for me too, to rediscover the magic of reading, only this time with my kids.

Here are some tips to prevent the “summer slide”, according to the Children’s Literacy Initiative:— Choose the right books. Avoid books that are too easy or too difficult. Instead, help your child find a book that’s “just right” and keep them challenged, but engaged. Ask your child’s teacher or a children’s librarian for help if you’re not sure what your child’s reading level is.— Set goals. Help your child set some summer reading goals. Depending on your child’s age, you might want to shoot for one book a week, or an hour of reading time a day. Set up a reward system for when they reach their goal.— Your kids will want to read if you sneak books into fun activities. Headed to the beach? Pack some books with you. Try going on a “reading picnic” in the park. Play games or puzzles together that will require your child to read words. Sing songs or nursery rhymes with younger children.— Public libraries often have great inexpensive or free summer programs for kids. While you’re there, let your child pick out some new books — he’ll be much more excited to crack open a book if he chose it himself.— Show your kids that reading is a priority. Snuggle up with your child and share a book — these moments will help establish a love of reading with your family.

— Lydia Seabol Avant writes The Mom Stop for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at lydia.seabolavant@tuscaloosanews.com.